Prairie Mountain Sunrise, Part 1

My friend Tim can always be counted on to organize good outings. A coffee, a lunch, a hike. He organized our excellent excursion to Pocaterra Ridge in September to see the larches.

One of Tim’s good ideas in the last few years is a sunrise hike to the summit of Prairie Mountain in Kananaskis. He’s been considerate enough to arrange the hike on the day with the latest sunrise. This year, that day was December 29. Before the hike, I didn’t independently verify Tim’s assertion on this point. More on that in Part 2 of this post. But I did enjoy the extra two minutes of sleep that I was told would be available by delaying our hike from the winter solstice by eight days. 

Dan and I joined the convoy that left Calgary at 6:20 to reach the trailhead by 7:10. A testament to the popularity of Tim’s idea is that our group was ten this year, up from five last year. Mind you, last year’s -20C temperature may have been a contributing factor. (I passed on that one.)

The hike was great. It was my first time on the new and improved Prairie Mountain trail. It’s now 8.4 km with 711 metres of elevation gain. The modifications evened out the trail’s steepest segments, added some Lawrence Grassi-like stone steps in a couple of places, and widened the trail. Even in the dark, lit by a headlamp, I liked the changes. I’m not a PM veteran or a mountain goat. I have done the hike maybe six times, in various weather conditions. And I’ve been in a couple of slippery situations on the old trail that left me wondering if we’d taken a wrong turn. It just never seemed safe to me. Now it does. 

We may have been a bit late getting started. The southeastern sky was already lit with beautiful shades of pink at the first viewpoint. We hustled onward, knowing that if we could get onto the summit ridge we would see the sun break the horizon. Our time for the ascent was about 75 minutes. 

We didn’t have long to wait once we reached the 2,210-metre summit. The light display was stunning. Sunbeams streamed around a lone cloud that was parked just above the horizon. 

First rays (December 29, 2023)

I had my Ricoh GR III with me. (Yes, I know, I say this often, but I really love this camera!) We snapped a few group shots as the sun made its appearance.

The group, on the summit

To the northwest, Moose Mountain was glowing, with snowy highlights and a rosy sky above. 

Moose Mountain looking splendid

We enjoyed the vistas and took more photos. As I reached for a snack, I realized that my fingers were freezing. It was deceptively cool, but thankfully the summit winds were moderate. That isn’t always the case on Prairie. We started down, trading our headlamps for sunglasses.

On the descent

An enjoyable coffee and treat at the Bragg Creek Cafe & Baking Co. rounded out the morning. 

Happy New Year to all!

December Run Streak, Non-festive Edition

The month is almost over, and that means the end of the Strides Run Streak. Looking forward from our December 1 start, the task seemed daunting. But here we are, already closing in on January. The persistent pattern of warm weather and the relative absence of snow in the city this year have certainly made our task much more bearable. Even so, I don’t mind saying that I’m looking forward to a day off on January 1.

Now that Christmas is in the rear-view mirror, I felt I should do a follow-up post to my last piece. That one was my attempt at a (slightly) festive piece, in keeping with the season.

This time, I feel I can loosen up the constraints. The photos in this post were all taken while out for one of my December runs. They were all taken with the incomparable Ricoh GR III. However, the subjects are less “Santa” and more “street”. These are subjects that fall closer to what I might normally look for when I’m out and about with my camera.

So, with no explanatory text, I present… my December Run/Photography Streak, non-festive edition:

One-stop shopping
Open for business
Santa’s little helpers, in cruise mode
“6212”, Bowness
Chicken on the Way, by sunset

Let me know what you think. I haven’t seen much in the comments section lately.

Until next time, Happy New Year!

In closing, I’ll mention that my book, Stroke of Luck: My Life in Amateur Athletics, will be available on Amazon for a special resolution sale price, starting in January. Thanks to everyone who has already picked up a copy. It’s been great hearing your thoughts on the book.

Streaking through December

The pressure has been building for three weeks already. It’s nothing serious, mind you.

For the last few years, the arrival of December has meant the start of the Strides Run Streak, hosted by our wonderful neighbourhood running store. The parameters of the challenge are simple: run at least a mile a day for the full month. It’s wildly popular with the locals, including Deb and I.

I do have some history with this challenge. In 2012, I started running on December 1 and turned a one-month goal into a multi-year streak. That particular streak, which didn’t end well, isn’t the point of this post. You can read all about that adventure in my book, Stroke of Luck: My Life in Amateur Athletics. (By the way, if you hurry, you can still get your copy in time for Christmas, either at Owl’s Nest Books or directly from me. Thanks to all of you who picked up a copy. Much appreciated!)

This year’s streak has brought the usual mix of weather and physical challenges. Pathways have been notoriously icy. I’ve been dealing with a nagging calf issue lately, which fortunately seems to be on the mend. It’s looking promising that I will get through the month.

As has become my custom, I’ve added to the challenge with a photographic element. I look for a memorable photo during each run. That can be a tougher goal than the run itself, but equally rewarding. I’ve been giving my trusty Ricoh GR III a good workout. That camera is amazing!

I like the idea that I don’t know what I’ll see when I leave the house. I have a built-in incentive to explore other neighbourhoods (or even my own) with the idea of finding fresh photographic subjects (and good running).

Gloria Court, Mission (December 2023)

If I’m totally honest… and I think my readers would want me to be… I feel that the results this year have been something less than stellar. Or maybe it’s just that my subjects haven’t been leaping out at me. I think my muse may already be on holiday. But as always, I find if I keep my eyes open and trust my instincts, I will be rewarded with some surprises.

Lines in the sky, Glenmore Athletic Park (December 2023)

I try not to fall into the trap of snapping easy targets, like excessively decorated houses. Yes, that is a small, self-imposed constraint that makes my daily task a little tougher. That said, I find that even if some light displays don’t compare with Clark W. Griswold’s, they are still worth photographing.

Merry Merry, Altadore (December 2023)

My 2023 SRS photos may not be totally traditional, at least as defined by seasonal expectations, but when I look at them as a whole they seem to evoke a rather pleasant feeling. Is it hopefulness? Calm? Wonder?

I’ll let you decide for yourselves. I’m keen to hear from you, so do leave a comment.

Looking slightly festive, Beltline (December 2023)

Signing off for now, I’ll say Merry Christmas. Until next time, I wish you happy running, shooting, or whatever your particular passion is.

Be well and enjoy what’s around you. Peace!

Seeing Double?

Yesterday’s run along the Bow River was nice, but for the ice. And the wind. Otherwise, it was perfect! Good company, bright sunshine, and lots of runners out. Thanks, Deb and Sherrey for getting me to 13k, which was more than I expected to do.  

Given the conditions, we decided to head east from Eau Claire. Better to warm up a bit before facing the breeze. We reached the 12th St bridge in Inglewood before turning around, 3k into our run. Even after so many years, passing the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers always feels special to me.

Our crossing point happens to be the location of a unique statue. Or maybe not so unique. But more on that shortly. 

The statue I’m referring to is called Wolfe and the Sparrows. It was sculpted in bronze by Brandon Vickerd in 2019. Vickerd is a Hamilton-based artist and professor at York University.

Wolfe and the Sparrows (Vickerd, 2019)

General Wolfe was the commander of the British forces at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. He led the British to a rather important victory there in 1759. 

As I stepped carefully around the statue… that ice!… I stopped to admire it for a few seconds. I wondered what Vickerd had in mind when he replaced Wolfe’s upper body with a flock of sparrows.

Later, I read the city’s description of the statue, which states that the community wanted something  “critical, challenging and funny”. I think Vickerd succeeded with this piece.

According to his bio, Vickerd seeks to “provoke the viewer into questioning the dominate myth of progress ingrained in Western world views.” His Wolfe statue touches on themes of indigenous reconciliation, so maybe he hit the mark there too.

Why? Apparently, in many cultures and religions, sparrows represent good fortune, happiness, and resilience. They are non-native birds in North America, which makes them a good choice for a piece meant to convey the importance of reconciliation. 

I like Vickerd’s statue a lot. I decided that whatever he intended, it works as a thought-provoking piece of public art. 

Back to our run. Continuing west along the river past 14 St, we saw many familiar faces, including some quick runners in RunCalgary‘s 12k’s of Christmas. Well done, Reinier and Mel, Matt and Jeremy!

It was a quick pace at the front of the pack

Now, what about my comment about the uniqueness of the Wolfe statue?

On the drive home, I asked Deb to make a slight detour so we could stop at Calgary’s “other” Wolfe statue. Appropriately, this one sits in Wolfe Park in Mount Royal.

This bronze statue by Scottish sculptor John Massey Rhind was completed in 1898. It was originally located in New York City and was sold to Calgary philanthropist Eric Harvie in 1966. The statue was donated as a public art piece in 2009. 

Wolfe, with no sparrows (Rhind, 1898)

You’d have to call this version of Wolfe a traditional rendering. It shows the general looking off into the distance as if contemplating the battle to come. (By the way, Wolfe didn’t survive it.) 

I like this statue too, and I’ve photographed it often. It certainly is a worthy addition to the neighbourhood. I try capturing it in different lighting conditions, as it seems to change the expression on Wolfe’s face. 

From chest level down, these two statues are identical. Vickerd chose to do this. Was it homage to Rhind’s statue? Maybe. We are left to wonder what message he was sending by adding the swallows. For me, while the original statue is handsome, it can’t match Vickerd’s version as a provocative piece of art.

In closing, we’re fortunate to have two very different Wolfe statues in Calgary. Both are impressive pieces, in their own way.